Whirlpoolfail: The Story So Far
7 Jul 2009 6:32 PM
On the 10th of May my washing machine broke. It stopped mid-cycle and I was unable to open the door.
My housemate got the door open during the week, but when I attempted to do washing on the 18th of May, I had the same problem.
Eventually I found the warranty information for my Washing Machine (I had only bought it in October) and I called Whirlpool.
The Whirlpool phone system presents you with four options:
Press 1 to book a service call
Press 2 to order a spare part
Press 3 for product information
Press 4 for all other enquiries
Pressing 1 or 2 will give you a recorded message with a different 1300 number to call (if you're in a metropolitan area). If you aren't in a metropolitan area it tells you to look in your phonebook. Extremely helpful. I was in a Metropolitan area, so I called the other 1300 number. I don't exactly recall what happened but I believe that it told me to call another number and eventually I made my way through to a service centre which I neglected to write down the name of, and also misplaced the number for. Silly me, I did not realise how much I would need this information.
I don't recall the exact day, but I believe it was fairly early in the week. I provided all of my warranty information and the representative told me that the soonest someone could come and look at my washing machine would be on the following Tuesday. At some point during the day, they could not tell me around what time it would be during the day but they said they'd call me 30mins before they showed up. Not particularly helpful for someone who works around 40minutes from home! It wasn't too dreadful though, because one of my lovely housemates was available to be home that day.
The 26th of May rocked around and the service-person called me and went to my house to look at my washing machine. Housemate informed me when I got home that he had determined that the problem was just that the belt was broken, but unfortunately he didn't have that particular part with him. He said he would order the part and that it 'may take a couple of days to come in'.
I am an exceedingly patient person. I have worked in Technical Support for several years and that patience has often been required. Sometimes, however, I think I should be less patient and understanding.
My immense patience meant that it wasn't until the 3rd of June that I called to enquire about my part. My phone remembered the number of the guy that had come to see my machine so I called him first.
He informed me that he remembered my machine and said he wouldn't know anything about the part because he did the service calls, he did comment that it had been quite some time and he was surprised that I was still waiting. He provided me with the phone number for the service centre.
I called and they looked up my file. I was informed that the part had been ordered but they did not have an ETA for the part. The lady on the phone commented that it had been quite a while and she apologised for the delay. She told me that she would request an ETA for me and someone would call me back in a couple of days and let me know when the part would be available.
Did I mention that I am an exceedingly patient person? I really am. Because what do you think I did? Oh yes, I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Then I realised that I didn't know the company that was supposedly fixing my washing machine. I recalled the hoops I had to jump through to find it initially. I was too embarassed to call the guy who's mobile I had in my phone. I had lost the piece of paper that I had written the number on. Luckily I don't make many phone calls at work, and I knew the date and time that I had last called these people - someone was able to pull my call logs out of our phone system and I called Woolley Appliances and once again asked them about my part.
The lady on the phone looked up my case and told me that the part had been ordered, but they did not yet have an ETA for the part. She told me she would request an ETA and someone would give me a call back in a couple of days and let me know when the part would be available. I told her that someone had already said that they'd do that and then not actually done so. She said she could see that the ETA request had not been answered.
I called back two days later and was informed that they still didn't have an ETA. I grumbled that nobody had ever called me to tell me that, and that I had been promised calls and nobody had ever called me. She apologised (again) and informed me that their system was set up so that when the ETA came back they would call the customer and let them know. Since my ETA request had vanished into nothingness, their system basically didn't cope with it and I was left without any information. I informed her that I didn't think that was acceptable and she told me that she'd print out my information and keep it on her desk.
She called me the next day to tell me that she was still unable to get any information from the manufacturer about when my part would be available, and she didn't know what else she would be able to do for me. She mentioned that perhaps I could call the manufacturer myself.
I called back the next day and she was still unable to do anything for me. She did provide me with the part number & order number for my part. Armed with this information, I called Whirlpool.
It was now the 30th of June.
I mentioned that the first two options on the Whirlpool phone system give you a recorded message, well so does the third.
The fourth option simply hangs up.
I discovered, after experimentation and guess-work, that pressing zero will transfer you through to an actual person. I provided the numbers that Woolley had provided to me, told my story to the Whirlpool representative. She told me she would create a case for me. She required more numbers from me and my proof of purchase (which I did not have with me).
Unfortunately that evening I wasn't able to get home after dinner and had to stay the night at my mother's house. On Wednesday I was unwell and did not go to work so I did not have access to a fax machine.
On Thursday I faxed my proof of purchase to Whirlpool.
On Friday I called Whirlpool again, I was informed that my Proof Of Purchase had been received and that it might take a couple of days for my case manager to assess me case and get back to me.
On Monday (yesterday) I called Whirlpool again. I was crankily informed that it would take 'at least three business days' for my case manager to get back to me. I thought that 'a couple of days' and 'three business days' were different things, particularly when the start of that period is a thursday morning.
At 3pm this afternoon I decided that their 3 business days were up and I called Whirlpool again.
This time I got an apology for my case manager not getting back to me yet. She said that it didn't normally take that long. She told me that the part was on order but (OH GOSH WHAT A SURPRISE) she was unable to tell me when the part would be available.
I informed her, quite curtly, that I didn't think that this was acceptable. I have been without a washing machine for nearly two months. Six weeks since the part was ordered initially and nobody has ever been able to give me ANY IDEA of how long I am likely to be waiting for it. She asked me what I thought she should do and I told her that they could surely get me a new washing machine more quickly than this, and that if they couldn't fix my machine they should just give me a new one. She told me that she would request that of her manager.
I am really not impressed by whirlpool. I do not intend to buy any more whirlpool products, even if they do come with a year's worth of detergent. Grrr!
I intend to call Whirlpool back tomorrow and ask them for an update. I will be calling them EVERY DAY until I know when someone is going to be at my house and fixing my washing machine.
I will update this blog with the (lack of) news about my washing machine, so that you too can experience the frustration of dealing with whirlpool!
There are 4 Comments! :D
You are indeed patient.
I also think you deserve a new washing machine by now. Or at least 6 weeks worth of laundromat fees, + taxi fees to and from nearest laundromat, + being paid for the time this all took ><I am bewildered that modern customer service can possibly be the mysterious quagmire you have fallen into. Good luck!
You should have said earlier. My best friend J used to work for their customer service centre, but she doesn't anymore. She worked through Salesforce til Feb. She went overseas and when she came back Whirlpool didn't have their customer service through salesforce anymore, I don't know who does it now. But if your washing machine had of broken 6 months ago perhaps she could have got it fixed for you....
Definitely keep calling until they get something done for you!